Plant winter crops and edible perennials

If you have (for example) kale and cabbages and lavender in your yard, plants which look good all year long, then the bare spots aren't as noticeable, especially if you have these sorts of plants as a major part of your design.

If you can find deciduous perennial edibles with interesting shapes or nicely colored winter branches which grow in your area, this can add interest in early spring, before your plants start to leaf out.

Plant early (with a caveat)

Many early spring greens such as lettuce and spinach can be sown either in late fall or even late winter. You have the seeds in the freezer already, so what's the difference if they freeze there or in your yard?

When it thaws, your seeds will wake up and begin their jobs, and in spring, you'll have your salad harvest a lot earlier.

But you have to know your plants. It makes no sense to plant something like tomatoes (which are frost-tender) before your last average frost date.

Do your garden maintenance

Pruning, hardscape repairs, clearing out dead plants and checking the supports on your living ones can do a lot to make your spring garden look its best.